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| By Courtney Llewellyn Reminder Assistant Editor WILBRAHAM Workshop leader Chrysler Szarlan may soon have have to add "nationally published author" to her list of credentials. The Wilbraham resident recently entered the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest with an excerpt from her novel "The Unforgotten" and has progressed past qualification to the semi-final round. More than 5,000 novels were submitted but only 822 moved on to the semi-final round. "The Unforgotten" is competing against 406 other submissions in the General Literature category. Finalists will be announced March 3. Only 10 novels will move onto the next round. "It's amazing. It seems like it's moving by so quickly," Szarlan said. "Other contests I've entered take a lot longer." Szarlan said she entered the contest as a "spur of the moment decision." She added there are not a lot of novel contests out there and only found out about this one, hosted by www.amazon.com, a few days before the deadline. "It's a really worthwhile award," she stated. "I'm glad Amazon is doing this." In addition to being named the Next Breakthrough Author, the contest's first place winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin and a $25,000 advance for their novel. Amazon customers who review the novel excerpts on the Web site may also be rewarded for posting reviews, readers are entered in a running to win a prize package that includes a $2,000 Amazon.com gift certificate, an HP photo printer and an Amazon Kindle, a handheld digital reading device. Szarlan has received eight reviews so far, which include five five-star ratings, two four-star ratings and one three-star rating. The first seven pages of the novel are available for free download. "Their reviews have given me a lot of food for thought," she said. "They are giving me feedback before the book is published. I'm now looking at it with fresh eyes." Reviewer Birdie Smith wrote, "I just love [the] beginning and the writing is beautiful, very refreshing." Debbie Lee Wesselmann, however, believes there is room for improvement: "With a stringent revision, "The Unforgotten" could be a powerful literary novel; however, as currently written, it needs work." "I hope I move on to the next round," Szarlan said. She added any additional reviews received before March 2 add weight to the judges' decision. "If I won, it would solidify my belief in myself as a writer," she stated. "I long to have a book published and have a lot of readers. I would have more interaction with my readers and hopefully, it would lead to more published works." "The Unforgotten," described in its simplest terms, is a ghost story, and it was the only completed novel Szarlan had on hand to enter into the contest. She is currently working on "The Holly Book of the Dead," which she describes as a story that follows "the creepy New England tradition." "A lot of literary works involve ghosts," she said. "And I do believe in ghosts. I've lived in several haunted homes." Regardless of whether or not she wins, Szarlan sees her entry into the Amazon contest as a learning experience. As the instructor of the "Save Your Life Writing Workshops," she usually gives constructive criticism to her students. With the contest reviews, she is receiving some criticism herself. "I want to make people sit up and notice [my work]," she said. The writer/workshop leader will be starting two new workshop sessions Feb. 11 and 16. For more information, call Szarlan at 346-8793. For more information on the Breakthrough Novel Award or to review Szarlan's novel, visit www.amazon.com/abna. |